Part 4 (1/2)

The bark he likes best is froet that, he will eat the bark from the poplar, the alder, the , and even the birch But he likes the aspen so et it Perhaps it tastes better because he does have to work so hard for it

There were soe of the pond Paddy had made in the Green Forest These he cut just as he had cut the trees for his daths, and with these swim out to where the water was deep, close to his new house He took them one by one and carried the first ones to the bottoh to hold theht rew and grew

Jerry Muskrat, Peter Rabbit, Bobby coon, and the other little people of the Green Forest watched hireatest interest and curiosity

They couldn't quiteIt was al the foundation for another house

”What's he doing, Jerry?” deer

”I don't exactly know,” replied Jerry ”He said that he was going to lay in a supply of food for the winter, just as I told you, and I suppose that is what he is doing But I don't quite understand what he is taking it all out into the pond for I believe I'll go ask hirowing so curious that he couldn't sit still

So Jerry swam out to where Paddy was so busy ”Is this your food supply, Cousin Paddy?” he asked

”Yes,” replied Paddy, crawling up on the side of his house to rest

”Yes, this is uess it is,” replied Jerry, trying to be polite, ”though I like lily-roots and cla to do with it? Where is your storehouse?”

”This pond is ht here close to my house, and the water will keep it nice and fresh all winter When the pond is frozen over, all I will have to do is to slip out of one of et a stick, and fill my stomach Isn't it handy?”

[Illustration]

XIV

A FOOTPRINT IN THE MUD

Very early onea terrible fuss over in the aspen-trees on the edge of the pond Paddy had made in the Green Forest Paddy couldn't see because he was inside his house, and it has no , but he could hear He wrinkled up his brows thoughtfully

”See,” said he, talking to himself, a way he has because he is so much alone ”When he screas at once--make trouble for somebody and keep somebody else out of trouble; and when you co It shows that he isn't all bad, and at the saood Now, I should say fro to steal up on so Reddy is afraid of me, but I suspect that he knows that Peter Rabbit has been hanging around here a lot lately, watching me work, and he thinks perhaps he can catch Peter I shall have to whisper in one of Peter's long ears and tell him to watch out”

After a while he heard Sa fainter and fainter in the Green Forest Finally he couldn't hear it at all ”Whoever was there has gone away, and Saht Paddy He was very busya bed He is very particular about his bed, is Paddy the Beaver He makes it of fine splinters of hich he splits off with those wonderful great cutting teeth of his This reat deal of patience and work, but patience is one of the first things a little Beaver learns, and honest ell done is one of the greatest pleasures in the world, as Paddy long ago found out for himself So he kept at work on his bed for some time after all was still outside

At last Paddy decided that he would go over to his aspen-trees and look theht He slid down one of his long halls, out the doorway at the bottom of the pond, and then swam up to the surface, where he floated for a few minutes with just his head out of water And all the ti, and listening for any sign of danger

Everything was still Sure that he was quite safe, Paddy swarew, and waddled out on the shore

Paddy looked this way and looked that way He looked up in the tree tops, and he looked off up the hill, but round Yes, Sir, Paddy just studied the ground You see, he hadn't forgotten the fuss Sa to find out what it was all about At first he didn't see anything unusual, but by and by he happened to notice a little wet place, and right in thethat made Paddy's eyes open wide It was a footprint! Some one had carelessly stepped in the mud

”Ha!” exclaimed Paddy, and the hair on his back lifted ever so little, and for aall over The footprint was very er